At all colleges and institutions, the freshman experience is subjective—what may work for one student may not work for another. Our administration should reflect the complexity of the individuals attending our college with an impartial approach to clubs and organizations. Youth is about self-discovery. It’s OK to try new things, fail, and try again—only then can students find a true passion to follow.

Although standardized testing has been the norm for years, this method of academic evaluation is extremely outdated. Multiple studies have already shown how these exams are not accurate assessments of students’ knowledge and skills.

Last November, the Beacon published an article entitled “Emerson declared a sanctuary campus.” We watched as the article was passed around on social media, becoming one of the most shared articles of the semester.
Unfortunately, we were wrong.

Rather than take greater advantage of this program, students have decided to rely on one another. That says volumes about the lack of trust students have in the department—they feel safer with their peers than with trained police officers.

This graphic suggests we're sleepily dreaming our way to graduation, living on our imaginations and pretty art. But we work hard here—through sleepless nights and early mornings, we are developing our crafts.

Explore the results from Emerson's first comprehensive climate survey, which found that many students felt sexual assault prevention training was lacking, and that there were strong racial divides in their sense of belonging.

At Emerson, we surround ourselves with signs of vitality: the vigor of campus activities, the bustle of the Common, the promise of a diploma. But this tragedy throws the fragility of life into sharp relief.

Events like Victory Stride, which discussed the history of minority empowerment and the fight for civil rights, are invaluable to a school that is still striving to bolster diversity and integrate black history into its curriculum.

Competitions like E3 place a spotlight on the college that goes beyond that which it usually gets from ProArts plays or film screenings. It’s a peek into the projects from students in a minor that goes unnoticed at a known arts school.

We witnessed the definition of what it means to be an Emersonian, a member of a close-knit community of thoughtful people who show that connections cut deeper than “networking”—they provide real care and support in times of crisis.

Imagine what can be accomplished with a grant of over $8,000 to raise funds for a charitable cause. But when more than a third of that funding is sunk into a dessert display, it’s hard to believe that money was spent in a way to best benefit the nonprofit.

Emerson’s basketball players must compete each week with the support of only 61 people, on average, according to the athletic department’s website, leaving the squeak of their soles to echo in a nearly-empty gym.

The $18,280 price tag may seem costly, but EBONI has earned our trust as an organization that has delivered excellent results on this particular series of events. Furthermore, the organization cited nine co-sponsors including fellow student organizations and President M. Lee Pelton’s office. This is exactly the kind of event the entire college should proudly invest in, student body included.

Over the past few weeks, the issue of dormitory security has pervaded conversation among the student body. Beyond a straightforward notification about the breach itself, the administration now owes students clarity on the matter at large.

In the Beacon’s opinion section, we are accustomed to respectfully editing the words of students who disagree with our private views and that of the Beacon’s editorial board. The diverse opinions we publish are what make that page an arena for students and faculty to exchange ideas.

The peer review by external administrators and academics should help prevent Emerson from drowning in its own reflection. A school with such a fierce sense of its own personality risks out-of-touch immersion in its own mythology.

With the stakes so high and the outcome so uncertain, Emerson students that claim to be interested in politics — whether they are the “Hope and Change” poster-hanging plurality, or the proudly cryptozoological Republicans — can’t sit on the sidelines.

Unless you’re a competitive coin tosser, 50 percent success is not a promising record. According to the student handbook, Aramark—the company contracted by Business Services to operate dining facilities—would have been asked to pursue academic excellence elsewhere if it were an Emerson student. The dining service has passed inspections a mere half of the time that most of us have attended Emerson.

I don't expect this letter to get published since I haven't suckered my way up to having any flashy titles on campus. Either way, Emerson College deserves a news outlet with a clearer focus and stronger content, one that can constantly push for meaningful change on campus. Forget the style, focus on the substance. It’s a message that needs to be spread to the student body at large.

Where SGA delivered questions that were wordy, somewhat repetitive, and novice-sounding, they were received by Pelton’s prepared talking points in a way that witnesses say seemed at times aggravated and aloof.

Politicians make lofty goals every day. “Reforming academics” in a college setting sounds as vague as “fixing the economy” does on a national scale. Like economic reform in American political discourse, academic reform oversimplifies dozens of diverse and often unrelated goals into an easily digestible buzz phrase.

Boloco’s April Fool’s Day email may have given Emerson students momentary heart attacks with its claims to remove all free burritos and raise prices, but some tomfoolery this Sunday proved more offensive than funny.

We trust that SGA will keep fighting the big battles on our behalf. Those, like dining services reform, are essential. But as speech night nears, we want SGA candidates to consider how they can balance those lofty goals with results-based initiatives.

With steadily rising tuition costs, Emerson students know firsthand that money doesn’t grow on trees. Each semester, crestfallen organizations are denied funding from the Student Government Association because there simply isn’t enough cash in the pot for everyone. SGA recognition is something that needs to be earned; to receive a slice of the student activities fee, an organization ought to prove itself.

The generosity of hosting public forums—from events like last spring’s gubernatorial debate to the education town hall last week—speaks volumes to Emerson’s prominence in the community. Inviting others to share in our campus conversations is an integral part of Emerson’s dedication to open, constructive communication—and a hallmark of networking.

Internships abound. There are stories to be written for CNN or The Washington Post. Campaigns to be organized for Republicans and Democrats. Funds to be raised and fights fought for D.C.’s countless nonprofits.

We urge Halls to follow through with more than just talk. If administrators at the health center fail to take this up as an initiative, Halls should spearhead a grassroots campaign for proper STD testing services.

In the pages of last week’s Beacon, this editorial board called for a firmer demonstration of commitment and accountability among our Student Government Association representatives. It was to our dismay that a student leader who pledged “consistency” of service abandoned her post—joining the handful of her predecessors and colleagues from the class of 2013 who had similarly jumped ship.

While we disagree with eliminating our guaranteed funding because it will put us in an ethically challenging position as journalists -- inviting us to treat unfavorable coverage as biting the hand that feeds -- there are other issues in the proposed constitution that concern us.